Rik Smits scored 10 of his 18 points during the decisive second
quarter as the Indiana Pacers posted their season-high seventh
straight win, a 115-93 rout of the Sacramento Kings.

The Pacers need one more victory to match the longest winning
streak in team history, set from April 11th-23rd, 1994. To tie
the record, Indiana must defeat Seattle, which owns the NBA's
best record, on Wednesday.

"The timing is good, our starters got to sit out the fourth
quarter, and hopefully we can do the same thing against Seattle
tomorrow night," Smits said. "The game against Seattle will be
a statement game. If you want to look at it that way you can.
We don't get much publicity, we don't get much recognition."

The Pacers outscored Sacramento, 37-19, in the second quarter en
route to a 61-39 halftime lead. Indiana opened the period with
a 29-10 burst, sparked by six straight points from reserve Fred
Hoiberg. Smits, who finished with eight rebounds, scored eight
points during the run.

All 12 players scored for the Pacers, including six in double
figures. Reggie Miller had 11 of his 15 points in the third
quarter and Chris Mullin also scored 15, including a
three-pointer that capped the second-quarter burst and built a
53-30 lead.

"This is a veteran ballclub, a lot of guys in the twilight of
their careers and they understand the window is somewhat
closing," Miller concluded. "Everyone understands that the
window of opportunity is closing."

Smits played just 21 minutes as he and the rest of Indiana's
starters were able to sit out the fourth quarter. The Pacers
cruised to their 20th win in 24 games and their sixth in seven
road contests.

"It's a nice feeling when you see guys making open passes and
getting open shots," Pacers coach Larry Bird said. "We got a
long way to go and we know that. When you go on the road and
win games like this, it gives a team confidence. Hopefully we
get our heads on straight and don't get them swelled up too much
and keep plugging away."

Mitch Richmond scored 24 points for the Kings, who never
threatened in the second half and trailed by as many as 32
points.

"This was a night when nothing went well for us from the tip,"
he said. "We didn't play this team the way we are capable of
playing them. You've got to tip your hat to them. They came in
here and played a whale of a game."

Indiana, which held an opponent under 94 points for the sixth
straight game, committed just nine turnovers and held a 50-40
rebounding edge. Antonio Davis and Jalen Rose each scored 14
points off the bench and Dale Davis had 13 and nine rebounds.

Terry Dehere scored 16 points and Corliss Williamson contributed
14 and nine rebounds for Sacramento, which was outscored in the
paint, 48-26. Dehere drained four three-pointers and Richmond
hit three as the Kings shot 8-of-12 from behind the arc. But
Sacramento hit just 42.5 percent (37-of-87) of its field goals
overall and was 11-of-16 from the foul line.

"You name it and they did it to us," Kings coach Eddie Jordan
said. "I know Larry probably doesn't want to hear this, but
they are probably the best team in the league.

"They are big, unselfish, they've got shooters, they've got
rebounders and they know how to play together," he continued.
"They have the right chemistry and they are on a mission. We
were just a bump in the road for them."

After Hoiberg scored six straight points, Rose had a bucket and
two free throws to build a 34-20 lead with nine minutes left in
the second period. Richmond responded with a basket, but
Indiana came back with the next six points. Smits had eight
straight points for the Pacers late in the run before Mullin's
three-pointer with 2:03 remaining in the first half.

"I think we created matchup problems with the Kings. Sometimes,
you've just got a team's number," Mullin said. "We got guys
that come out and play together, and the wins come from that."

Mark Jackson had 11 assists to go along with six points and
seven rebounds for Indiana, which shot 49 percent (43-of-88)
from the floor.

The Kings have lost back-to-back home games after winning eight
straight at Arco Arena. This was their worst home loss of the
season and dropped them to 1-17 when allowing 100 points or
more.

Indiana, which had lost its last two trips to Sacramento, swept
the two-game season series from the Kings.